Belt-shifting means.



No. 897,441. I PATBNTED SEPT. 1, 190a.

\ .ILWIRTH! BELT SHIFTING MEANS. APPLIOA'IIOI FILED D110. 9, 1907.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST WIRTH, OF SCI-IOPFI-IE IM, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS GREINER, OFTOLEDO,

OHIO.

BELT-SHIFTING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1,.1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST WIRTH, a sub- 'ect of German and a residentof Schopfeim, I. W. Ba en, Germany, have invented a certain new anduseful Belt-Shifting Means; and I do hereb declare the following to be afull, clear, an exact description ot the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to belt shifting apparatus, and has for its objectthe provision of a device of this class, which forms a strong anddurable antifriction support for the belt when not on the driveulley,but which obviates the use on the sha t of the usual loose-pulley, andprovides sim le and eflicient means for shifting the belt rom the pulleyto the support or vice versa.

The operation, construction, and arrangement of the parts of myinvention are fu ly described in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side'elevation of the device comprising my invention withan associated driveulley and belt. Fig. 2 is a top plan view t erect,and Fig. 3 is a transverse sec tion taken on the dotted line a; a: inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a drive-shaft, 2 a drive-pulleycarried thereby, and 3 a belt 0 erating on said ulley.

Suspended rom the ceiling by hangers 4, 4 or otherwise suitablysupported at one side of the pulley 2, is the curved bar or member 5,which commences in advance of the vertical center of the pulle in theplane of its top and thence follows t e course of the belt for a portionof its distance around the pulley, as shown, so that the curved portionof the bar a roximately conforms to a segment of the pu ey rim.Projecting laterally from the curved portion of the bar 5 toward thepulley rim with their free ends terminating in close proximity theretoare a plurality of spaced spindles 6 each of whic carries a roller orrevoluble sleeve 7. These sleeves .combine to form an antifrictionsegmental the function of the usual loose u the upper forward end of thebar 5, and in which the transverse shift-bar 9 is mounted forlongitudinal reciprocatory movement. While the bracket 8 is shown asextendin upwardly and laterally of the bar 5 towar the belt 3 with itsfree end terminating in a pendent lip, which lip and the supporting legof the bracket are provided with registering slide-wa s for theshaft-bar 9, any other form of bracket can be used if desired. Theshift-bar 9 has its inner end, relative to the bar 5, extended over thebelt 3 and provided with a pendent spindle 1.0 on which the revolublesleeve 11 is mounted for contact with the contiguous edge of the beltwhen the shift-bar is moved to shift the belt from the pulley to thesleeves 7. The shift-bar 9 is normally retained at its limit of outwardmovement, as shown in Fig. 2, by the action thereon of the coiledcontraction-sprin 12, which has one end attached .to the brac 6t 8 andits other end attached to the end of the shift-bar opposed to thespindle 10. A shift cord or chain 13 isattached at one end to a fin er14 projecting from the inner or spindled end of the shift-bar, thenceextends longitudinally of the shift-bar over a sheave 15 carried by anarm 16, projectin from the bracket 8, and thence downward in position.to be pulled by an attendant.

The mechanism em loyed for throwing the belt upon the pulle rom thesleeves 7, consists of the rear shi tbar 17, which is carried by thebracket or arm 18 for longitudinal movement transversely of the bar 5.The bracket or arm 18 is carried by the curved portion of the bar 5 andis shown as bein of similar construction to the bracket 8. rojectinglaterally from the shift-bar 17 contiguous to the inner side of thesupporting le of the bracket 18 are one or more ears 19, w ioh carry thes indles 20. project toward the shaft 1 and carry loose sleeves 21,which are intended to coact with the inner edge of the belt to throw itfrom the su porting-sleeves 7 upon the pulley when t 1e bar 17 isshifted for such purpose.

These spindles A coiled contraction-spring 22 connects the upward over asheave 24, carried by an arm 25 projecting from the bracket 18, thencehorizontally around the angled end 17" of the shift-bar 17 and back tothe bracket 18 with its end suitably fixed thereto, thus causing a pullon the cord or chain to effect a movement of the shift-bar in thedirection of the pulley against the ten sion of its spring.

It is a parent from the above description that to t row the belt fromthe drive-pulley to the supporting spindles 6 it is only neces sary topull downward on the shift-cord or chain 13 to impart the requisiteshifting movement to the shift-bar 9 against the tension of its spring;and to throw the belt from the spindles 6 to engagement with the pulleyit is likewise only necessary to pull downward on the shift-cord orchain 28 to impart the requisite shifting movement to the shift-bar 17against the tension of its'spring.

I wish it understood that I do not desire to. be restricted to theparticular arrangement and construction of the arts shown and described, as obvious mo ifications will occur to persons skilled in theart.

Having thus described my invention, what claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. The combination with a pulley and the belt operating thereon, of abelt support at the side of the pulleyfindependent means movablelaterally of the pulley for throwing the belt from the pulley to the suport and vice versa, and means associated wl-t each of said shiftingmeans to yieldingly retain it in one position of its movement.

2. The combination with a pulley, of a belt sugport at the side thereof,and a set of beltsh1 ter members; capable tudinal reciprocatorymovements in planes transverse to the pulley, one member being a sheave26 carried by of relative longi,

movable to shift a belt from the pulley to the support and the otherbeing movable to shift a elt from the support to the ulley.

3. The combination with a ulley, of a stationary beltsu port at the si ethereof comprising a member laterally spaced from the ulley and having aportion curved to conorm to a segment of the pulley, said memberhavingspaced belt supporting portions projecting toward the pulley, andlaterally spaced longitudinally reciprocatory means relatively movableto shift a belt on and off the pulley.

4. In association with a pulley, a belt support comprising a partlaterally spaced from the pulley and having sleeved projections thereonextending toward the pulley-rim and terminating in proximity thereto,said projections being arranged in the form of a seg ment of the pulleyrim to adapt them to support a belt when shifted thereon from thepulley, means carried by the support for shifting a belt thereto fromthe pulley, ashiftbar carried by the su port for longitudinal movementlaterally oi the pulley, said bar having a lateral projection extendingbetween the projections on said part in the path of shifting movement ofthe belt, means acting on the shift-bar to normally retain it with itsprojection in contiguous position to said part, and a pull-memberassociated with the shift bar and adapted, when pulled, to effect amovement of the shift-bar from normal position to. throw a belt from thesupport to the pulley.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST WIRTH.

Witnesses:

ALFRED WEYER, OTTMAR BEDENK.

